On Monday, June 2, the upper house of the French Parliament—the Senate—will begin discussions on a bill aimed at combating so-called “fast fashion.”
The document is designed to limit the excessive consumption and production of cheap clothing, which often does not meet high-quality standards and floods the market, competing with traditional manufacturers, especially imports from China.
The bill on “reducing the environmental impact of the textile industry” has been awaiting consideration in the Senate for over a year, after it was approved by France’s National Assembly in March 2024. According to the environmental agency Ademe, the volume of clothing entering the French market grew from 2.3 billion units in 2010 to 3.2 billion units in 2023. On average, each French resident buys more than 48 items of clothing per year, while approximately 35 items are discarded every second in the country.
The main targets of the bill are companies operating in the fast fashion sector, such as Shein and Temu, while traditional French and European manufacturers are intended to be protected from excessive penalties.
Key measures of the law include officially defining the term “fast fashion” based on production volumes, the speed of collection renewals, the lifespan of clothing, and the lack of incentives for garment repair.
Manufacturers will be required to inform consumers about the environmental impact of their products.
